211 backers

28 days

Project by

New stretch target

We made it! There's obviously a huge appetite for good, people-powered local food in and around Oxford - thank you to everyone who supported us.

The more we raise, the better we'll be able to achieve our vision of at least 10% of Oxford's food coming from local producers. Please pledge today.

Support us in the next stage of development of Cultivate Online, our new online shop. Help us grow our online shop and bring more delicious, people-powered food to more people in and around Oxford!

Our vision

In Oxford, like many other cities, less than 1% of our food currently comes directly from local producers. Cultivate Oxford is a community-owned social enterprise that’s working to change this by finding new ways to supply people in and around Oxford with local food. We want 10% of all Oxford’s food to come from local sources because it’ll mean a fresher, healthier, fairer, and more sustainable food supply. It will also keep more money circulating in our local economy. It’s a vision that can work in Oxford, and a model we want to help spread to other cities too.

Introducing the VegVan and Cultivate Online

In the summer of 2012 Cultivate launched the VegVan - our mobile greengrocers delivering delicious produce from over 30 fantastic local suppliers to stops around Oxford. The VegVan has become an iconic presence on the streets of Oxford, and we’ve pumped well over £100,000 back into the local economy.

However, the VegVan alone can never meet the demand for local food, so in late 2014 we opened the virtual doors of Cultivate Online, our new online shop. Through the VegVan and Cultivate Online we’re now delivering local produce to people in 19 neighbourhoods and reaching more customers than ever before.

Our plan

The Cultivate Online shop is much loved and growing steadily, but if we want to achieve our vision of 10% of Oxford’s food coming from local producers, we’re going to need help scaling it up more rapidly. We’ve got everything in place to make Cultivate Online a viable – and replicable – model, but as a small social enterprise, we just don’t have the working capital we need to scale it up. We’ve come a long way since 2012, and we know there’s both a need and demand for what Cultivate is doing – so we’re asking for your help to raise the cash needed to make it a reality.

We're hoping to raise £20,000 through this Crowdfunder, and we’re bringing in business development expertise and support to help us fine-tune our model, grow our customer base and develop a sustainable community-run business.

How you can help

If you believe in our vision of a vibrant local food economy that’s fuelled by people power, then please support our Crowdfunder by making a pledge today. And of course, don’t forget to use the Cultivate Online shop to get your weekly fruit & veg, meat, dairy, freshly-baked bread and much more!

Our rewards

Our thanks to these wonderful Cutlivate supporters for donating some great rewards - to find out more about any of them, just click on their logo to be magically transported to their website...

Want to know more about Cultivate Oxford?

Cultivate Oxford launched in 2011 as a not-for-profit community-owned business, to grow and sell food, and raise awareness of sustainable food and agriculture. We have over 400 members, provide a route to market for over 30 local producers through our retail operations, and are producing more than ever on our 10 acre farm just outside Oxford.

Rewards

Get £10 reward

Give whatever you can and receive a beautiful handwritten thank you card and your name on Cultivate's website (or anonymous if you prefer!)

41 backers so far

Get £20 reward

A fabulous, limited edition, screen-printed Cultivate tea towel, made by our very own Lisa, grocer extraordinaire and designer behind 'Lisa Made It', plus a handwritten thank you card

48 backers so far

Get £25 reward

An invite to our summer knees-up, the Cultivate Ceilidh (8-10pm, 24 June), a free drink on the night and a thank you on our website - come join us for a dance!

37 backers so far

Get £50 reward

A weekly Cultivate Online veg bag for the month of May or June, and handwritten thank you card

42 backers so far

Get £50 reward

Limited edition print of a hand-drawn map of Oxfordshire's food producers, created by our brilliant Lisa of 'Lisa Made It', plus a handwritten thank you card from the team

13 backers so far

Get £60 reward

A special guided tour of Cultivate's farm for two including a pick-your-own lunch (how fresh can you get?!), and handwritten thank you card from the team

2 backers so far

Get £75 reward

A seriously tasty Cutlivate hamper, with lots of local goodies inside, plus an invite to the Cultivate Ceilidh and a handwritten thank you card from the team

3 backers so far

Get £80 reward

An invite to one of our July workshops, plus a handwritten thank you card from the team. Choose from:
Cooking for special diets, with a light lunch and recipe booklet;
An early morning yoga session on the farm, followed by a light and fresh farm breakfast - yum!;
An introduction to Permaculture on the farm, with pick-and-eat salad lunch;
An introduction to setting up a co-op, with pick-and-eat salad lunch... Which one will you choose?! (Workshops all two hours plus food, and taking place on July weekends) You'll also get an invite to the Cultivate Ceilidh and a handwritten thank you card from the team

2 backers so far

Get £80 reward

LIMITED One of three Modern Baker sourdough baking starter kits: everything you need to start making their delicious sourdough bread at home, plus a £15 voucher for Cultivate Online for May and June, so you can buy a couple of loaves whilst you get up to speed :) plus a handwritten thank you card from the team

3 backers so far

Get £100 reward

A set of 4 awesome limited edition food prints by Veg Van grafitti artist Kleiner Shames, signed and numbered by the artist

6 backers so far

Get £100 reward

A weekly Cultivate veg bag for the month of May or June and 2 invites to the summer knees-up, the Cultivate Ceilidh, a free drink for each on the night, plus a handwritten thank you card from the team

14 backers so far

Get £100 reward

A weekend ticket to Tandem Festival (including camping) plus special edition screen-printed t-shirt - a beautiful way to spend the solstice weekend - plus a handwritten thank you card from the team

4 backers so far

Get £100 reward

ONE OFF EXCLUSIVE! Dinner for two at the Turl Street Kitchen, including a special drink and chat with the chef, and a handwritten thank you card from the team

1 backer so far

Get £150 reward

A relaxing punting trip for 4 including a delicious Cultivate picnic - we'll do the punting! - plus a handwritten thank you card from the team

Get £350 reward

LIMITED A professional family photo shoot on the Cultivate farm and beautiful neighbouring Wittenham Clumps, with Mim Saxl Photography, with 2 professional prints of your choice, and a selection of digital files; plus a handwritten thank you card from the team

2 backers so far

Get £500 reward

An exclusive audit for your cafe (or any other food-based business) from Good Food Oxford, to help you improve the sustainability for your operations, with advice on sourcing and all other aspects of your business, plus a handwritten thank you card from the team

1 backer so far

Get £1,000 reward

Cultivate's team has something extra special planned to thank anyone who pledges £1000 or more!

0 backers so far

Get £1,500 reward

Exclusive catered summer's eve banquet on Cultivate's farm for you and 11 friends - think candlelight, music and good food; plus a copy of Lisa's beautiful hand-drawn map of Oxfordshire's producers and a handwritten thank you card from the team